Thill-coupling.



No. 655,804. Patented Aug. I4, [900. n. M. SECHLER.

THILL COUPLING. (Applicaltion filed Mar. 15, 1900.)

(No liodel.)

FIG.1.

FIG.5.

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DANIEL M. SEOHLER, OF CINCINNATI, OIIIO.

THILL-COUPLlNG.

SPECIFICATION forming part ofLetters Patent N0. 655,804, dated August 14, 1900. Application filed March 15, 1900. Serial No- 8,736. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL M. SECHLER, a citizen of the-United States, residing at Oincinnat-i, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Thill-Oouplings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to thill couplings wherewith a shaft can be readily fastened to and as conveniently detached from the front axle of a vehicle. It includes a clip applied to the axle in the usual way and having a pair of parallel forwardly-projecting hook-shaped lugs, between which is fitted a knuckle at the rear end of a thill-iron, the knuckle being retained in place bya customary bolt. Located behind this knuckle and normally retained in contact with it by a spring, or a pair of them, if desired, is an unattached follower having a concave bearing in front that fits snugly around a portion of the periphery of said knuckle. Again, said follower is of such asize as to fit loosely between the hookshaped lugs in order that it may be free to be advanced and retracted to take up any wear and tear incidental to the rough usage of thill-eouplings, or, in other words, this follower serves as an antirattler. Furthermore, said follower has a pair of laterally-projecting stops that constantly bear upon the lugs and prevent said follower being lost in case the free or effective portion of the spring should break or bend or otherwise become inoperative, the fixed end of said spring being secured to the axle-clip, as hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved thill-coupling, its pivot being sectioned and the nut of said pivot indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a plan of the complete couplin Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the device, taken in the plane of the clip-bolts. Fig. 4 is a plan of the clip and its hook-shaped lugs. Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the unattached follower removed from the coupling.

A represents the front axle of a vehicle, and B is a clip secured thereto by bolts 0 O and a tie-plate D. Projecting from the front of said clip is apair of parallel hook-shaped lugs E E, the inner or opposing faces of which are smooth vertical walls free from mortises or projections or anything that would in the least interfere with the prom pt backward-andforward movement of the follower. These smooth walls are shown at e e in Fig. 4.

H is a bolt wherewith the knuckle is pivoted to the lugs E E, said bolt having a head I at one end and a screw-threaded nut J at its other end.

K is the unattached follower above referred to, and L is a concave in its front, which concavity serves as a bearing that fits snugly around a portion of the rear periphery of the knuckle F of the thill-iron G, as more clearly shown in Fig. 3, the follower being a metallic wedge-that is to say, it is thicker at top than at bottomend has a pair of laterally-projecting stops M M,as more clearly shown inFig. 5. Again, the width of this unattached follower K is slightly less than the opening between the walls 6 c of the hooks E 'E in order that it may be normally forced forward by the effective portion of a spring N, bent substantially to the shape shown and having its lower fixed end secured between the tie-plate D and the nuts engaged with the bolts 0 O. The upper or free end of this spring projects up some distance above the follower K, so as to be readily bent back toward the axle A when occasion requires.

0 is a bent arm projecting from either of the stops M or M and having at its front end a plate P, that rests upon the head I, and thus prevents any turning of the bolt H. P is another plate that bears against the outer end of said head, and thus holds the bolt in place in case its nut J should work loose. This arm 0 P Pmay be integral with the follower or it may be screwed into the appropriate stop, as shown at o in Fig. 2.

My thin-coupling is fitted together and 0p erates in the following manner: After the spring N has been secured in place and the thill iron knuckle F properly pivoted to the hook-shaped lugs E E by the bolt H the upper end of said spring is bent back a limited distance to permit the ready insertion of the follower K between said knuckle and spring. The follower is lowered until its stops M M produce no bad results.

a esaoe rest upon the lugs E E, and then the spring is liberated, so as to force said follower forward and cause its concavity L to bear against ,the rear of the knuckle H, which is all the adjustment the coupling requires. (See Fig. 3.)

Now as the walls e e of the lugs E E are free from cavities or projections and as the follower is entirely clear of said lugs it is evident said device K automatically adjusts itself to suit any action of the knucklethat is to say, if said knuckle is not truly cylindrical and turns in such a manner as to permit the advance of the follower any movement of this character will not in juriously affect the coupling. Conversely, the turning of the knuckle in an opposite direction may force the follower back a limited distance and It will thus be seen that the unattached or disconnected follower is free to play back and forth, because it is supported by the spring N, and if the latter should break said follower could not become detached from the coupling, because its stops M M are always in contact with the lugs E E. Finally, owing to the prompt and automatic movements of the follower it serves not only to take up all lost motion of the coupling, but it also acts as an effective antirattler that stops all noise incidental to the vibrations of a shaft.

I claim as my invention- 1. A thill-coupling consisting of a clip provided with forwardly-projecting lugs; a (hilliron having a knuckle pivoted to said lugs; an unattached follower in contact with the rear of said knuckle; and a spring that bears with one of its ends against said follower and has its other endfixedly attached to the clip, for the purpose herein described.

2. A thill-coupling consisting of the clip B provided with forwardly projecting hookshaped lugs E, E, the thill-iron G having a knuckle F, pivoted to said lugs; the spring N, having its fixed end secured to said clip; and the unattached follower K, located between said knuckle and spring and furnished with lateral stops M M, said follower having a concave bearing L, in front, all as herein described, and for the purpose stated.

3. A shill-coupling consisting of clip B provided with forwardly-projecting lugs E E, the thill-iron G- having a knuckle F fitted between lugs E, E, a pivot bolt to hold it in such position, a follower between clip and.

knuckle havinglateral stops M, M each adapts ed to rest upon one of lugs E, E, an arm 0 projecting laterally and forwardly from one of said stops and plates P, P at the end of said arm adapted to engage respectively the upper and front sides of the head of thepivotbolt.

4. A thin-coupling consisting of a clip 13 havingtwo forwardly-projectinglugsE,Epro= vided with bolt-bearings which are rearwardly open, a thill-iron G having a knuckle F which is fitted between these lugs and has a closed bolt-bearing, a pivot-bolt occupying all these bearings and confining the position of the knuckle in a forward direction and against any pull from such direction, but leaving it free to yield rearwardly, a wedge-shaped follower fitted into the space between lugs E, E, back of the knuckle and a spring adapted to bear against this follower to hold the same in contact with the knuckle for the purpose of resisting and counteracting any rearward movement of this latter and of the pivot-bolt within its clip-bearings.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' DANIEL M. SEOI-ILER. Witnesses:

JAMES H. LAYMAN, EDWARD J. BABBITT. 

